New Delhi: The Delhi High Court’s hallways have become the scene of a culinary contest between the creators of two of the most famous Indian dishes, Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani. The restaurants Moti Mahal and Daryaganj are embroiled in a legal battle at the moment regarding the usage of the tagline “Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.”
Moti Mahal has filed a lawsuit against the Daryaganj restaurant’s owners, claiming that they are deceiving the public by implying a link between the two businesses.
The suit claims that Daryaganj is falsely establishing an association with Moti Mahal, whose first branch was established in Daryaganj, according to the Bar and Bench.
Justice Sanjeev Narula, hearing the case, has asked the owners of Daryaganj restaurant to file a written response within a month.
Both restaurant chains have, for years, claimed that they invented Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.
Moti Mahal attributes the creation to their founder Kundal Lal Gujral, and argues that these dishes have become synonymous with Indian cuisine globally due to Mr Gujral’s culinary genius.
The restaurant claims that Mr Gujral was concerned about his unsold tandoori chicken drying out. He came up with a sauce to rehydrate the chicken, thus giving birth to Butter Chicken, Moti Mahal claims.
On the other hand, Daryaganj claims that Kundal Lal Jaggi came up with the dishes, refuting the lawsuit as “baseless”.
According to Bar and Bench, the attorney for Daryaganj contended that the first Moti Mahal restaurant was a joint venture between the forerunners of both parties—Gujral of Moti Mahal and Jaggi of Daryaganj—in Peshawar, Pakistan.
There will be a heated debate over who is the “inventor of butter chicken and dal makhani” until the court takes up the case again on May 29.
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